NDLEA seizes N10.4bn Canadian ‘loud’ shipment at Lagos Port, vows crackdown on syndicates

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a massive consignment of “Canadian Loud,” a high-potency strain of cannabis, valued at over N10.4 billion at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.

The illicit shipment, weighing 4,173.5 kilograms, carries an estimated street value of N10,433,750,000.00, according to the agency.

The seizure followed more than two months of intelligence gathering, surveillance, and tracking of the container from its point of origin in Canada.

Investigations revealed that the container departed Toronto on March 28, transported by rail to Montreal before being loaded onto the vessel Jakarta Express.

The ship arrived at Tanger Med Port in Morocco on April 15, where the container was discharged and subsequently reloaded onto another vessel, Osaka Voyage, which berthed at the Lagos Port on Saturday, May 9, 2026.

The NDLEA’s Marine Intelligence Unit and Tincan Island Strategic Command monitored the shipment throughout its complex transshipment process, working in collaboration with international partners including the United Kingdom Home Office International Operations, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

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The operation culminated in the seizure of the drugs on Tuesday, May 12, during a joint examination of the container involving NDLEA operatives, officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies.

According to officials, the narcotics were professionally packaged and concealed inside two vehicles—a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300—both stashed within the shipping container to evade detection.

The latest interception comes barely four days after NDLEA operatives raided a mansion in the Lekki area of Lagos used as a stash house. During that operation, 4,000 parcels of the same psychoactive substance weighing 2,326 kilograms and valued at over N5.8 billion were recovered.

Speaking during the formal handover of the seized consignment by Customs authorities at the port on Wednesday, May 13, the NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations, ACG Ibinabo ArchieAbia, described the operation as proof of effective intelligence-driven enforcement.

“This achievement once again demonstrates the effectiveness of inter-agency cooperation, international collaboration, and intelligence-driven operations in combating transnational organized crime and illicit drug trafficking,” she stated.

Reacting to the development, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers of the Tincan Command and the Marine Intelligence Unit for their vigilance and professionalism.

Marwa noted that the recent surge in seizures of Canadian Loud indicates a coordinated attempt by international drug syndicates to flood the Nigerian market with synthetic cannabis strains.

“This second massive seizure in less than a week is a clear message to international syndicates who think they can use our ports as entry points for their destructive trade,” he said.

He emphasized that the growing synergy between NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service, other domestic security agencies, and international partners such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the UK Home Office International Operations, and the US DEA is producing tangible results.

“We will not rest until every link in this supply chain is broken and those behind these shipments are brought to justice,” Marwa assured.